Meta Launches AI Game Creation App Pocket in the U.S.
Meta’s experimental gaming app, Pocket, is now available to all users in the United States after a soft launch in Brazil last month. The app allows users to create small, interactive games using AI prompts, which are then published in a scrollable feed.
Pocket is built on the foundation of Meta’s acqui-hire of the Gizmo team earlier this year and features interactive experiences termed “gizmos.” These games respond to users’ touch and phone tilt, play sound effects, and can include snippets of favorite songs. Users can also incorporate photos from their camera roll or access the camera directly, enabling them to create and share their games on personal profiles, where others can remix or repost the content.
This launch is part of Meta’s broader initiative to mainstream AI creation tools, complementing previous projects that generated AI images and videos through the Meta AI app and an experimental app known as Vibes. Pocket joins a series of standalone applications released by Meta in recent months, including Instagram Instants, Forum (a standalone Groups app), and Seller (a standalone Marketplace app). CEO Mark Zuckerberg noted that AI-enabled software development facilitates the faster testing and deployment of new ideas.
“Earlier this year, we shipped Instagram Instants. We also just launched Forum, a stand-alone Groups app, and Seller, a stand-alone Marketplace app. I expect it to become a lot easier to ship new apps,” Zuckerberg remarked in July’s earnings call. He also mentioned plans to expand and utilize recommendation systems to scale these developments.
Along with Pocket, Meta has recently experimented with AI-generated bedtime stories and launched a Meta AI app for Mac users. However, the introduction of Pocket signals the discontinuation of the original app acquired from Atma Sciences.
Josh Siegel, a prominent member of the Gizmo team, expressed mixed emotions about the transition, stating, “It’s bittersweet to shut down Gizmo, a labor of love by so many people for the last couple of years, but I’m excited for Pocket and what’s next. Starting a company is something I wanted to do for a long time, and it was way more fun than I imagined.”
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